Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to water pipes used for smoking, particularly a stabilizer that assists in preventing water pipes from tipping over.
Background
Water pipes are often used to smoke tobacco, herbal substances, and other smokable substances. FIGS. 1A-1C depict exemplary embodiments of water pipes 100. A water pipe 100 can comprise a base chamber 102, a stem 104, a bowl 106, a tubular extension 108, and/or a carburetor 110.
The base chamber 102 can be a hollow chamber with a closed base and/or sides, such that the base chamber 102 can hold a quantity of water or other liquid. The base chamber 102 can have a substantially flat floor 112 such that the water pipe 100 can rest on a surface. In some embodiments, the base chamber 102 can have a protrusion and/or opening configured to accept a stem 104. In some embodiments, the base chamber 102 can be substantially conical with sides tapering upward from a floor 112, as shown in FIG. 1A. In other embodiments, the base chamber 102 can be substantially spherical with a floor 112, as shown in FIG. 1B. In yet other embodiments, the base chamber 102 can be a tube with substantially the same diameter as the tubular extension 108, with a flanged floor 112 extending out of a bottom portion of the base chamber 102, as shown in FIG. 1C. In still other embodiments, the base chamber 102 can have any other desired shape.
The stem 104 can connect the bowl 106 to the base chamber 102. In some embodiments, the stem 104 can extend through an opening or protrusion in the base chamber 102 at least partially into the center of the base chamber 102. The bowl 106 can be a chamber or receptacle that can be filled with tobacco or any other smokable substance. The stem 104 can be hollow, such that smoke created when a smokable substance within the bowl 106 is lit can be drawn through the stem 104 into the base chamber 102 and/or into water within the base chamber 102. In some embodiments the stem 104 and bowl 106 can be integral with the rest of the water pipe 100, while in other embodiments the stem 104 and/or bowl 106 can be removable.
The tubular extension 108 can extend from the base chamber 102 in an at least partially vertical orientation relative to the floor 112 of the base chamber 102. The tubular extension can be hollow, such that smoke can rise through the tubular extension 108 out of the base chamber 102. The tubular extension 108 can define a mouth opening 114 at its upper tip, such that smoke can escape the water pipe 100 through the mouth opening 114 after being drawn through the stem 104 from the bowl 106, through water in the base chamber 102, and up through the tubular extension 108. In some embodiments the tubular extension 108 can be straight, while in other embodiments the tubular extension 108 can be curved, bent, or have any other shape.
The carburetor 110 can be an opening in the water pipe 100 that can be selectively sealed to block the carburetor 110 or opened to allow air into the interior of the water pipe 100. In some embodiments, the carburetor 110 can be an opening in the base chamber 102 that can be sealed when a removable stem 104 and/or bowl 106 is inserted into the base chamber 102, or opened when the removable stem 104 and/or bowl 106 is removed, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, such that air can pass down the stem 104 when the bowl 106 is removed. By way of a non-limiting example, the bowl 106 can be removed In other embodiments, the carburetor 110 can be a hole in the side of the base chamber 102 and/or tubular extension 108 that can be selectively closed by a user, as shown in FIG. 1B. By way of a non-limiting example, a user can plug or unplug the carburetor hole using a finger or other plug.
In some embodiments, a water pipe 100 can be made of glass. In other embodiments, a water pipe 100 can be made of plastic, metal, ceramics, bamboo and/or any other material. The shapes, sizes, and designs of the components of a water pipe 100 can vary significantly between different embodiments. By way of a non-limiting example, different water pipes 100 can be different colors, have different exterior designs or artistic components, contain one or more bases and/or chambers, tubing, or other components, and/or have unique or varying shapes.
As can be seen from FIGS. 1A-1C, many water pipes 100 are much taller than they are wide. In addition, many water pipes 100 have an imbalanced weight distribution because the stem 104 and bowl 106 are positioned on only one side of the water pipe 100 without any counterbalance. Water pipes 100 are therefore often prone to easily tipping over due to these imbalanced dimensions and weight distributions. Because water used in the smoking process can often be dirty and/or odorous, accidental spillage of such water when a water pipe 100 tips over can lead to unpleasant clean up and/or stains. Additionally, water pipes 100 often break when they tip over, leading to the need to replace the water pipe 100 and/or safety hazards due to shards of broken glass or other material.
As water pipes 100 can be unique, have sentimental value, and/or be expensive to replace, many users desire to protect their water pipes 100 and prevent them from tipping over. Some users attach a detachable base stand to the floor 112 of their existing water pipe 100, but conventional detachable base stands are often customized to a particular shape and size of base chamber 102 and are therefore not universal to many different water pipe designs, and they often do not provide a base with sufficient weight, width, or stabilizing properties to effectively prevent water pipes 100 from tipping over. Other users place an existing water pipe 100 into a stand that is similar to a guitar stand when the water pipe 100 is not in use, but these stands are generally used only for storage and do not help prevent tipping when the water pipe 100 is in use. Finally, other users attach rubber o-rings around various portions of an existing water pipe 100, such as around the tubular extension 108, to provide padding and/or shock absorption if the water pipe 100 tips over, but these o-rings do not help prevent tips from occurring in the first place.
What is needed is a universal stabilizer that can be used with a variety of different designs of water pipes 100, as the shapes and sizes of the components of a water pipe 100 can vary significantly between different embodiments. The universal stabilizer should be configured to hold water pipes 100 of a variety of different shapes and sizes, and to provide a stable base that can help correct the water pipe's orientation into a proper standing position if it is set down at an angle, begins to tip, or is in the process of tipping.